A GANG of 30 teenagers launched fireworks at motorists and customers inside a KFC, leaving frightened families trapped inside the restaurant.

The group of teenagers in Benfleet were seen firing the rockets as missiles along High Road and London Road, with drivers “lucky” none had exploded underneath their cars.

However, parked vehicles were damaged as a result of the attacks on Sunday night.

The youths then started aiming the fireworks at the KFC restaurant on London Road.

Shocking video footage, which the Echo has seen, shows the teenagers running in and out of the road, lobbing the fireworks at the KFC.

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The chain had to put a staff member on the door to try to stop the trouble.

A smoke flare even managed to get inside, before grey mist started to fill the restaurant.

Two teenagers booted the flare outside before serious damage was caused in the venue.

Angela Purkis, 39, from Benfleet, a mum of one of the boys, aged 16, who helped clear the flare said: “It’s disgusting, there were young kids and families inside.

“Everyone just sprinted inside there to be safe.

“KFC had to put a member of staff on the door.

“There must have been six fireworks aimed at the KFC.

“Two bounced off the windows and exploded right outside, and another one went off inside the bus stop.

“My son was stuck in there for about half an hour.

“If one of them had gone off underneath a car, who knows what would have happened.

“My son has been left quite shaken after what happened.

“It suddenly hit him afterwards about how dangerous the whole thing was.”

Nearby residents took to social media to explain how their young children and dogs were petrified at the horrific incident.

Mrs Purkis added: “The parents are just allowing this to happen.

“Something needs to be done to stop them.

“The children in the KFC must have been around five or six.

“My son explained how they were quite excited at the fireworks before their parents told them otherwise.”

A spokesman from Essex Police, said: “We were called to the High Road and London Road areas of Benfleet at around 9.25pm on Sunday, to reports of people with fireworks.

“Officers attended the scene the group had left the area.

“If you have any information you can submit a report online at https://www.essex.police.uk or use the ‘Live Chat’ button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

“Please quote incident 1607 of 31 October.

“You can also call us on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”